Don't be fooled by the relaxed atmosphere in this place. With its wood-fired oven, Oxomoco is a serious dining establishment. With a long bar, a huge skylight to maximize the sunlight in such a small space, and an outdoor patio, the attractive interior has a resort-like feel to it. The atmosphere is lively and crowded, but it is always friendly for conversation.

The main attraction is tacos, especially when they are piled high with tender flank steak or soft-shell crab. However, this culinary team doesn't limit itself to a single dish or region of Mexico. Instead, they cover a wide range of areas while consistently striking a balance between abundance and vivacious, fresh flavors. The menu thereby tempts and tantalizes with such large and small items as the tropical hamachi agua chile and tlayuda crafted from smoky corn on a shell. Other standouts include the brined, fried and smoked “giant chicken."

Apprised diners know never to pass up on creative and clever delicacies like the hoja santa curd, accompanied by roasted strawberries, raspberry granita, and finished with spicy olive oil. In close pursuit is the deceptively simple-looking carrot cake that is garnished with burnt cinnamon and flaunts a profound complexity of flavors. This is unquestionably one of the best outdoor dining spots in NYC.

• Timings: Mon to Thu - 12:00 PM to 10:30 PM, Fri 12:00 PM to 11:30 PM, Sat 11:00 AM to 11:30 PM, Sun 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM
• Google rating: 4.6/5.0
• Phone: +1 646-688-4180
• Website: https://www.oxomoconyc.com/
• Address: 128 Greenpoint Ave., New York, 11222

The well-known Prospect Heights restaurant offers seasonal and inventive vegetable-focused dishes that highlight produce from the restaurant's lush backyard garden as well as from nearby farmers and purveyors. On paper, Olmsted's preference for ultra-fresh produce may not seem to be particularly distinctive, but its unwavering commitment to freshness makes it stand out.

Radishes and lovage are grown in an urban minifarm behind the understated restaurant, while quails are laying eggs in a bird coop and crayfish are sloshed around in a claw-foot bathtub. Answer "yes" when the server asks if you would like to wait for a table on a cushioned bench in the backyard garden, perhaps with a cocktail and some crayfish crackers under string lights.

The best food, including a gorgeous bowl of charred-fennel chawanmushi, is served in the 50-seat den; only snacks are available outside. In order to balance the dreamy, delicate egg custard, Baxtrom adds a crunch of crispy artichokes and the umami punch of Burgundy truffle. Torn scallops—often overlooked and usually thrown away—are dry-rubbed, skewered, and grilled until tender, the summery pool of creamed corn and stewed blueberry that is served alongside the mollusks acting as a smoky foil to the savory and sweet balance of the dish.

These are fine-dining ambitions wrapped in neighborhood-spot environs, where the most expensive entrée doesn’t exceed $25, impromptu happy birthday sing-alongs occur between strangers, and you can openly curse over just how fucking good a dish is.

• Timings: Mon to Fri - 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Sat to Sun - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM & 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
• Google rating: 4.5/5.0
• Phone: (718) 552-2610
• Website: http://www.olmstedNYC.com
• Address: 659 Vanderbilt Ave Brooklyn, NY 11238

Claro, one of the best outdoor dining spots in NYC, appears to be the hangout for all the cool kids at first glance. Everything in the bar, from the imported blue-and-white tiles and rustic clay plates to the extensive mezcal menu and wood-fired comal (griddle), where you can watch the chefs toast masa tortillas made with in-house ground heirloom corn, is authentic.

The meal starts with insects. You won't be consuming spooks of the Fear Factor variety, but grasshoppers do appear in a colorful spring salad of fresh vegetables. The chapulines don't add much flavor when made into a tangy dressing, but they give you a chance to boast to your friends about your culinary exploits with the well-known Oaxacan ingredient.

The chef is great with his tongue—beef tongue, that is—when it comes to the hot stuff. The soft lengua de res tacos maintain their authenticity while acquiring a Brooklynized sheen, much like the other items on the menu, and are topped with meticulously diced raw onion and a vibrant salsa. The unexpected tostada combination of octopus and bacon produces mirroring textures that blend harmoniously on a crunchy tortilla, despite being almost too spicy to enjoy thanks to the pickled chilies.

The heat carries over to the dessert, where a warm mole cake (pick this one over the goat-milk chocolate and caramel confection) infuses dense, molten chocolate with a sweet spice. The meal concludes satisfactorily, but your mouth will be like the woman in the mural: on fire.

• Timings: Mon to Fri - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM & 5:30 PM to 9:15 PM, Sat to Sun - 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM & 5:30 PM to 9:15 PM
• Google rating: 4.6/5.0
• Phone: (347) 721-3126
• Website: http://www.clarobk.com
• Address: 284 3rd Ave Brooklyn, NY 11215

Brooklyn Crab in New York City is a Maryland style crab shack brought to the heart of New York. The outdoor patio dining and bar area, which has a view of the harbor, is open all summer long. In the off-season, you can retreat to the inviting interior dining room. Every visitor to Brooklyn Crab is provided with sustainable food as part of the restaurant's mission, so you can anticipate that the majority of the menu items will come from regional, sustainable sources. Seafood options on the menu include raw and chilled seafood as well as fish and shrimp, fish, and sandwiches. Crab options for dinner menus include fresh Maine lobster, Snow crab, Alaskan king crab, and Dungeness crab.

Pick up a picnic table after playing some golf, and then tuck into some straightforward coastal fare like peel-and-eat shrimp and steam pots full of lobster, Jonah crab, mussels, potatoes, and corn. On the open-air roof deck, which offers clear views of New York's Upper Bay, patrons can sip frozen daiquiris or split a bucket of beer (Corona, Bud) with friends.

• Timings: Mon to Sat - 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Sun - 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
• Google rating: 4.2/5.0
• Phone: (718) 643-2722
• Website: http://brooklyncrab.com/
• Address: 24 Reed St Brooklyn, NY 11231
  

Santo Parque is a large and welcoming restaurant and bar that opened in the summer of 2021 and is situated directly across from lovely McCarren Park. Santo Parque, the second child of the Yamasaki family, has all the friendliness and warmth of its Carroll Gardens roots. The best of what they call Brooklyn comfort food, with some Brazilian influences, can be found here.

The eatery serves up traditional Brazilian fare like po de queijo, or Brazilian cheese bread, which is accompanied by a spicy pork spread, a guava jam, and a creamy cheese spread. The Moqueca, a coconut milk stew typically served with seafood, or the Feijoada do Santo, a black bean and pork stew served with rice, are two traditional Brazilian dishes to try. Both dishes are filling and ideal for a chilly winter day. Instead of fresh fries, many entrees come with fried yucca.

Santo Parque has also entered the Williamsburg brunch scene. If you’re looking for a unique midday meal, the PDQ Benedict is a Brazilian take on the classic dish, instead made with pão de queijo topped with poached eggs and spicy malagueta sauce.

Cocktails, wine, and beer are available for both dinner and brunch. Try inventive drinks like the Girl From Ipanema with Espolon Blanco tequila, jalapeno tequila, fresh grapefruit, lime, and seltzer or the Swingin' Betty with Montelobos mezcal, sour cherry acerola, and Brazilian malagueta pepper syrup. Of course, a traditional Caipirinha won't let you down.

• Timings: Tue to Fri - 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Sat - 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Sun - 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
• Google rating: 4.8/5.0
• Phone: (347) 529-6898
• Website: https://TodosOsSantos.nyc
• Address: 232 N 12th St Brooklyn, NY 11211

Located in a basement storefront on Forsyth Street, you might just miss Wayla upon first glance. With little signage pointing you in the right direction, down the steps is a secret Thai restaurant and bar oasis not to be missed. The dark and cavernous spot joins the growing number of nightlife restaurants-slash-bar destinations in the area, with tricks up its sleeve and more soul to set it apart from the pack.

You might not anticipate the restaurant's opening into a chic dining area and a charming patio when you look down at Wayla's unassuming basement entrance. Thai homestyle dishes are the mainstay of Bangkok native Tom Naumsuwan's menu. The lobster with rice noodles, lump-crab fried rice, and chicken wings with plum sauce should all be ordered. If you want to make your dining experience feel even more like an exotic getaway, try a creative cocktail like the indigo Sway Layla (gin, butterfly pea blossom, cucumber, lemon, and shiso).

For dessert try Thai Coconut ice cream with an unexpected bite of jackfruit with a mochi-like gumminess. Wayla means "time" in Thai, and you'll want to spend some of yours at their secret backyard decorated with rugs and outdoor chairs with charming lighting. Soon, Wayla will open to-go upstairs with their Little Wayla concept.

• Timings: Mon to Fri - 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Sat to Sun - 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM & 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
• Google rating: 4.6/5.0
• Phone: (212) 206-2500
• Website: http://waylanyc.com
• Address: 100 Forsyth St, New York, NY 10002

Escape the bustle of the city and rediscover the romance of the sea at The Fulton, a restaurant from world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The Fulton, the chef's first seafood establishment, is situated in a part of the city that Vongerichten fell in love with in 1986 when he first experienced the buzz of the former Fulton Fish Market. In a nod to The Seaport's past, the menu places an emphasis on the finest ingredients and the abundance of the sea and other natural resources.

Vongerichten has built a devoted clientele of diners who travel with him around the globe for the past four decades. The chef currently oversees 49 restaurants (and counting), including ABC Kitchen, abcV, and Nougatine in New York, Market in Paris, and Mercato in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

At The Fulton, Vongerichten and interior designers Yabu Pushelberg created the space as a place to reconnect New Yorkers and her visitors with the city's maritime past. The distinct nautical history of The Seaport has been woven into the textures of the space.

Diego Castao and Chandler Noah's hand-painted murals cover the walls of the restaurant's main dining area. The piece, titled "South of Cape Horn," was influenced by Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and tells the tale of explorers who set out on an accidental journey in search of a rumored sea monster. With patio seating and some of the best unobstructed views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the restaurant provides a distinctive New York dining experience thanks to its waterfront location.

• Timings: Mon to Sat - 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM & 5:00 PM to 9:45 PM, Sun - 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM & 5:00 PM to 9:45 PM
• Google rating: 4.2/5.0
• Phone: (212) 838-1200
• Website: http://www.thefulton.nyc
• Address: 89 South St New York, NY 10038

Maracuja has been on the market for a while, but it only recently opened its backyard under new management in May. After the lovely, secluded outdoor space went unoccupied for six years, the pair of regulars who purchased the property right around the pandemic shutdowns in 2020 decided to move. They also added a speakeasy-themed stitch.

You can enter the outside by strolling through the bar and opening a door marked "private," which will take you out into a garden that is festooned with greenery and shielded from view by a canopy of leaves and lights. You can order small plates like chicken croquetas, chorizo, duck, and shrimp skewers from the menu as well as larger dishes like seafood paella for two from executive chef Roberto Jimenez's (recently of Mercado Little Spain) kitchen. Every day from 4 to 7 p.m., there is a happy hour with $5 beer, $6 wine, $8 frozen cocktails, and $1 oysters. Cocktails that say "If you know it, they can make it" are always $11.

• Timings: Mon to Thu - 6:00 PM to 02:00 AM, Fri to Sat - 6:00 PM to 04:00 AM, Sun - 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM
• Google rating: 4.3/5.0
• Phone: (718) 302-9023
• Website: https://maracujabk.com/
• Address: 279 Grand St Brooklyn, NY 11211

Maison Yaki, one of the best outdoor dining spots in NYC, is the French yakitori restaurant from chef-owner Greg Baxtrom in Prospect Heights. Greg's deep appreciation for classical French cuisine and his love of the yakitori style gave birth to Maison Yaki, which is directly across the street from sister restaurant Olmsted.

Dishes in Maison Yaki have broken down into categories: a hot and cold appetizer section, and skewers by vegetable, poultry, meat and seafood categories. Despite the creative touches made to classic French bistro dishes, everything on the menu was created to taste familiar but with an elevated twist. For example, the radish-and-butter combination is enhanced with salted plum; the duck rillettes are served with pickled ginger instead of the more conventional haricots verts; and wasabi is used in place of mustard. Matcha and ginger are used to top profiteroles for dessert.

At Maison Yaki, there is an agricultural component, but grow tanks are installed above the bar rather than a living grow wall. According to Baxtrom, "This will grow mushrooms for one of the skewers," and the King Trumpets were in fact already taking off a few days before the business opened. Eventually, he plans to add more varieties to the tanks as well for an anticipated yield of 30 to 40 pounds of mushrooms every week.

• Timings: Tue to Fri - 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Sat to Sun - 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Google rating: 4.2/5.0
• Phone: +1 718-552-2609
• Website: http://www.maisonyaki.com
• Address: 626 Vanderbilt Ave Brooklyn, NY 11238

If you're looking for an elegant seaside experience that rivals a day in the Hamptons, step aboard Grand Banks, the historic schooner turned oyster bar docked at Tribeca Piers. The wait staff moves like a tidy crew, bringing top-notch sinful plates (raw oysters, soft shell crab) to the horde of tables on deck at regular intervals. Two brass-tapped bars that offer prime seating even without reservations flank the bow and mizzen mast if you'd rather just relax and sip while taking in the sunset.

Oysters from the East and West Coasts, including Tomahawks from Shinnccock Bay, Mermaid Cove from Prince Edward Island, Great South Bay from the Long Island Sound, and Kusshi from Deep Bay in Vancouver, make up a large portion of the menu. Small plates are also offered, including a Maine lobster roll with boat-made pickles on a toasted bun, Jonah crab claws with smoked paprika and lemon, Montauk sea bream, avocado, and kaffir lime ceviche, and more. Sea scallops and soft shell crabs are also available.

The Painkiller, which is made with white rum, pineapple, and coconut cream, and the Yacht Club, which is made with tequila, lime, and Pcyhaud's bitters, are both excellent sea-inspired cocktails to try in Grand Banks. There's also a nice selection of beer on tap and wine, making this a perfect spot to drop anchor!

• Timings: Mon to Fri - 11:00 AM to 12:30 AM (Next day), Sat to Sun - 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM (Next day)
• Google rating: 4.4/5.0
• Phone: +1 212-660-6312
• Website: https://crewny.com/grand-banks
• Address: Pier 25 Hudson River Park New York, NY 10013